-AN

Okay ya'll, I did not expect the response I got from my current Naruto brainrot. So, after milking my brain and putting a basic outline together. I think I have something to put down up to and going through the chunin exams at least. I like the idea that's forming, so I'll keep it going for a while. I will finish it out one way or another at this point, cause my people pleaser brain won't let me do anything else. So have fun, I hope ya'll enjoy it, and let's enjoy the explosions!

-Story Start-

Today found team 7 early in the morning and waiting for their errant sensei to show up from wherever his latest excuse put him this time. Sasuke had taken to following Naruto's example but was training his great fireball technique, while Naruto's clones were again continuing chakra control exercises on the trees. Naruto himself was doing something that even had Sakura trying to puzzle him out. And that? Naruto had a scroll open and was repeatedly writing something down. Around him where another dozen clones doing the same. Walking over to stand over one of them, Sakura tilted her head and the vaguely familiar scrawl, "What's that Naruto?"

Not looking up from what he was doing, Naruto(or a clone of him at least) continued his work while answering his crush, "Trying to make exploding tags."

Confused as to why he would go through that effort at all Sakura stood up straight with her hands on her hips, "Couldn't you just buy a bunch of those? Why learn how to make them?" That's what everyone else did after all and they worked just fine.

Deciding explaining to the girl that some shops still didn't want to sell things to him and that it would be dumb expensive if he was able to buy the amount he needed for what he had planned, he instead went with a more bookish answer. "If I learn how to make them, I can make traps with them besides just using paper bombs."

Nodding at the actual thoughtful answer, Sakura walked away, "If you say so, I think you're just wasting your time. Sasuke could just blow everyone away with his fireball anyway." Strutting away from the loudmouth blonde, Sakura's curiosity was sated for now.

"Yatta! Think I got it!" One of his clones(Or maybe that was the real naruto) began putting some chakra into the seal he made on a scrap of paper in his excitement.

"Wait wait wait, not so close you idiot!" Another Naruto cried out while a more aware clone grabbed the now freaking out copy holding the paper tag by the jacket.

"Sorry buddy!" Heaving and tossing the clone up and over the trees, the explosion sent a blast wave that rocked the training ground and knocked leaves from the trees above them all. All movement and training stopped with Sasuke and Sakura turning irritated looks at the nervously grinning blonde. "Uh, I did it?"

"We can see that you knuckle head!" Sakura was always quick to show off her impressive lungs, Naruto noted.

"Dobe." Going back to his own training Sasuke put the blonde out of his mind. He could train all he liked, but an Uchiha would always be better than him.

Shrugging while sorting through the memories, Naruto dispelled his tag making group before remaking a new one. "Alright guys, practice makes perfect. And if you make a tag, run off a bit before setting it off okay?"

"Hai!" Getting a chorus of responses, they all set to work.

This was what Kakashi walked into this morning, a disgruntled Sakura and slightly exhausted Sasuke watching as a procession of Narutos ran off towards the lake only to explode in spectacular fashion. Shaking his head and clapping his hands together, Kakashi got everyone's attention, "Sorry everyone, a black cat tried to cross my path, so I had to find a new route where I ran into this snake that tried to bite me. But I'm here now!"

"Liar!" Sakura and for once even Sasuke joined in on her finger pointing. Huh, that couldn't bode well for him could it?

"Mah mah, com'on now, let's go get our mission and we'll end early for today ne?" Smiling as his cute students all formed up before him, they all turned and started heading for the tower. Naruto idly dispelled his clones while pocketing his seal making tools in his thigh pouch. Before making his now very familiar seal and creating an even larger group of clones that ran back to the training ground. Kakashi raised an eyebrow and watched the clones run off, "What's that about Naruto-kun?"

"Ah, I have something of a project I wanted to try out, but I can't do it with everyone at the training ground. It's…" Not having to answer as an explosion rocked the area and everyone turned to look at the Uzumaki sharply. "Ehehehe, explosions are cool?"

Sighing and turning away, Kakashi nodded, "Just don't over do it okay? We need you all in one piece, not scattered all over the fire nation." It wasn't long after that the team had all made it to the tower, picked up their next lackluster mission, and were on their way to the east side fields to help with some weeding for civilian farmers. All of the genin wanted to complain, but after their first few attempts, and Naruto getting swatted for trying to use clones, they all relented and got to work. Sakura had already given up on keeping her dress clean, eventually covered up to the knees in dirt and grass. Sasuke and Naruto weren't much better after to long, though somehow Naruto shivered from time to time which Kakashi figured was a clone exploding and sending it's memories back to him. Shrugging at the teenagers antics, Kakashi returned to his book and watched as the sun rose past noon and slowly began to sink in the sky. The more experienced ninja mentally lamented that it was probably to much to ask for every day to be this peaceful. But at least these kids didn't have to go through what he and his team did. At least not if he could help it.

The day coming to an end on it's own, the team reported their mission complete and went their separate ways. Sakura trying to follow Sasuke home and pester him for a date, and Naruto now heading back to the training field instead of going to his empty apartment. It was as he returned to the now empty training ground and sat down in the middle of it that he pulled a new training scroll from his pocket to begin reading. After getting the go ahead from jiji, he had made it a point to return his last set of scrolls and left with only two new ones. A book on basic seals, where he was working on the first set of his exploding tags, and a scroll about the shunshin. He hadn't realized that the jutsu was only a d-rank but after reading the description on it he sort of got it. Sure he could move really fast and appear where ever he could see or knew. But it left him open for a moment if he wasn't prepared. However if he had a clone do it, that vulnerability became a moot issue. Especially if the clone was supposed to be caught. Reading and memorizing the scroll over the next half hour. Naruto stashed it away before filling the clearing with clones.

"Alright! We have all night, let's get this technique down pat by morning!"

"Yosh!" It was going to be a long night for the boy.

-b-

Contrary to what his students thought, Kakashi wasn't always the late one to team meetings. In fact, he was usually the first. He liked to watch them, see if they were in fact there on time, or slacking off. While at first he had been worried as they did nothing but wait for him for hours on end, he was slightly proud that at least one of them had started taking the time to start training on his own. Though, now as he looked at an exhausted but snoring Uzumaki, Kakashi felt he should probably step in this once. Hopping from the trees and walking over to a battered but whole Naruto, his sensei squatted down to shake the boy by his shoulder. "Naruto, wake up, the ground isn't your bed."

"Ngh, 5 more minutes Kakashi-sensei, I promise I-" It took a moment for Naruto to wake up slightly and another one to realize he wasn't at home again. Bleary eyes opened to an eye smiling sensei and a just past dawn training ground. "Uh…" Looking around and seeing his teammates not around, Naruto let his head thump heavily on the dirt, "I over did it, didn't I?"

Nodding and standing up straight, Kakashi sighed, "You did. Do you think you're up for a mission today?"

Standing slowly with a groan and stretching to work out the kinks in his muscles, Naruto nodded with slowly building enthusiasm. "I'll run off and get some morning ramen, and I'll be good to go." Already turning to leave, he was forced to pause as Kakashi stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright wait a minute, time to be a sensei for a minute. Sit down and listen to me, alright?" Watching the boy do just as he asked, listening to the stern tone for once, Kakashi nodded in approval. "I have new training rules for you, and I expect you to follow them, got it?"

"Ah c'mon sensei! I'm fine, honest." Finally feeling like he was catching up, the attention starved boy didn't want to slow down now.

"I'm not going to tell you to stop training, but no more all nighters. You need to be in bed by 10 and you can't be at the training ground before 7 unless it's for a mission. Got it?" Seeing the boy give a dejected nod, he continued, "You have to give your body and your mind time to rest and heal. You won't make good progress if you don't. Also, after missions and training with the team, you need to give yourself at least 2 hours of downtime before starting up your evening training, got it? You need more than just ninja training in your life." That was a lesson Kakashi had learned to late, but he could pass on that bit of life lesson to the boy.

"Fine fine, I'll tone it down. Anything else?"

"I'm glad you asked!" Opening a storage seal behind his back, Kakashi presented a basket full of fruits and vegetables, "With the amount of training you're doing, ramen isn't enough, we need to balance out your diet. I know you haven't had someone to explain nutrition to you, but you're going to be a shorty forever if you don't start eating better. Plus, you'll never put on any muscle either, get it?"

Even more dejected but willing to listen to his sensei that actually seemed to be trying for once, Naruto nodded one last time. "Okay okay, I'll start eating better. Trying to at least." He hadn't said ramen was out, just that he needed to eat other stuff to.

"Good, now off you go. I don't want to see you back here for at least 2 hours." Plus, Kakashi figured, it'd irritate his other two students to see Naruto late as well. They needed to relax some.

Ignoring his sensei as he pulled free his pervy book and disappeared into the trees, Naruto himself made a half ram sign and disappeared into a swirl of leaves, basket in hand. Not more than a few moments later Naruto was walking through his front door with a yawn and a frown, "Guess I gotta eat some cruddy rabbit food and take a quick nap before heading back." His stomach deciding to grumble loudly in that moment, he would admit that he was hungry enough to ignore the fact that what he had wasn't ramen. That didn't mean he couldn't grab a quick snack on the way back to the team meeting. Thought in mind Naruto set about putting his basket of groceries on the table before heading to his room to shower and change. It wouldn't do to show back up smelling like one of the Inuzuka dogs after all. After cleaning up and changing into a new outfit, he was back to making a quick breakfast of eggs and toast, with some added vegetables from what his sensei had graciously given him. Complain he would but he wouldn't waste food, ever. Carefully folding his eggs into a neat omelette, he placed everything on a plate on his table before putting the dirty pan back on the stove. Not as carefully as he should have as some hot oil splashed out and into the still going flame. Shutting the flame off and patting out the small fire with his jacket, Naruto had to groan at the singed sleeve of his coat. Already knowing he wasn't about to put his dirty jacket back on, he ripped this one off and decided today was a t-shirt day. Putting the rest of his gifted groceries away in his fridge and scarfing down his quickly made breakfast, it wasn't even an hour later before he was headed back out of the door and towards the Ichiraku's stand, a spare black jacket now over his shoulders and open, showing his black t shirt with red Uzumaki swirl on the front.

Teuchi was only just opening up and warming up the stoves and grills while a clearly energetic Naruto was already bursting through the door with a smile, "Hey there old man, how 'bout a couple bowls of miso before I join my team for training?"

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Teuchi motioned around the early morning emptiness of the shop. "We've only barely opened Naruto, so no ramen yet, but I think I can put together some onigiri instead. How about it?" Seeing the dejected look the boy put on, he eventually smiled and nodded anyway, "Good, give me just a minute."

Next to him, Ayame smiled at the younger blonde and leaned on the bar, "Hey there Naruto. Liking the new look, trying something new?" While he still had his usual orange pants, the black shirt and jacket combo seemed to even it out a tad. It was kinda cool she thought.

"Ah, yeah that's it. Trying a different look." He wasn't going to admit to burning his spare jacket, "Any good news or rumors to share?"

Shaking her head as her dad came back with a plate of three carefully made rice balls, Ayame sighed, "Not really anything interesting. Though check with me later, you know I usually have something after lunch time."

Nodding and stuffing one ball in his mouth while leaving his pay and a tip on the counter, Naruto waved to them as he was already out of the door with the other two in his hands. Already at a light jog, he took a little more time to finish the last two rice creations while appreciating the sleepy morning atmosphere of the village. While the sun was low and not many people were out, it was easy to forget that people weren't that happy to have him here in the village, and some were more than happy to see him dead. Gripping his shirt over where the seal for the kyuubi was, Naruto directed some anger at the beast. If it hadn't attacked when it did, maybe his life would have been more normal. Maybe he would have had parents.

Shaking himself out of that thought, as that only lead to sadness and pain, Naruto instead resolved to make sure today was a great day. Of course, as he made it to the training ground, sun now slightly higher in the sky, the look Sakura was giving him had him feeling like his day was already doomed.

"Where have you been!?" How could she be so loud first thing in the morning?

"Uh, Kakashi sensei isn't here yet, so technically not late." As a forever prankster and skirter of the rules, Naruto lived in the technicalities of life.

"Well whatever, just don't slow us down, Sasuke-kun can't watch out for you too." While she assumed Sasuke would protect her if anything happened, both boys knew that wasn't going to happen, for one reason or another.

"Hai hai, Sasuke good, Naruto bad, I got it Sakura." For some reason not feeling up to appeasing the loud Haruno so early this morning, Naruto started his normal routine and created a horde of clones, maybe they could start on water walking today?

Slightly put off by the change in the boy's attitude but not enough to actually say anything, Sakura sat back under a tree and went back to reading. While the boys had taken to training while waiting for their sensei, she was content to read a book in her spare time.

Sasuke hadn't even batted an eye as Naruto showed up, nor flinched as the horde of clones got to work with equal parts tree climbing and working on exploding tags. Though one thing was different this morning. Naruto himself had unrolled a truly long blank scroll, and had himself plus a dozen others all covering every inch of it in seals. Shaking his head as the dobe was going to blow himself up one day, he returned to his own training on increasing the heat of his signature jutsu.

And this was what their sensei walked in on. Sakura reading and not paying attention to the world around her. Sasuke exhausting himself practicing his family's main technique and Naruto finishing on something in a scroll and now working it into some type of bracelet. Clapping his hand, all eyes were suddenly on him, "No mission today, so we'll do some team drills for a few hours and call it a day."

Clones dispersing and almost fully energized, Naruto was ready and able, "Alright, we're gonna get you today sensei!" They would not, however, get even close to Kakashi. But tomorrow would be a new day, and who knew, miracles happened sometimes.

-AN

Next time we find Naruto further improving his clone usage. The Shunshin can be used to do what? A certain blonde get's another blonde's attention. And is that a stalker?